Video Production Cart
Taking the plunge to invest a decent amount of change into a video production cart has taken me a lot longer than it probably should have.
Purchasing equipment that doesn’t necessarily make your content have a better outcome directly does tend to take a natural backseat on the shopping list. At least it did for me but over the years I have slowly realised that it’s your workflow and efficiency on location that can be the difference in capturing a shot or missing it all together.
In this post I’ll cover my previous setup for transporting gear to and from locations, my new setup with a dedicated video production cart, my thoughts so far and tips and hacks I’ve learnt along the way.
Table of contents
My Previous Transport Cart
For the first 7 or so years as a freelance DP / Cam Op / Owner Operator I was lugging gear by hand with a combination of roller cases and backpacks.
This worked ok for the most part as I was mainly a one-man band with one camera and a couple of lights. My work car was a Subaru Station Wagon and it was all good really.
As my career progressed and the amount of gear I needed for jobs increased, I realised I needed a better workflow for transporting & handling the gear whilst on location shoots.
Around 2018 I noticed another Camera Op using one of those beach carts that people put their toddlers in when they’re going to the beach, they’re relatively lightweight, fold up to the size of a small pelican case and can carry a relatively big load if you pack them well.
My local Mitre 10 were selling them for $150 which is a complete bargain in our industry so I picked one up and started using it on jobs.
For the most part, it did the job. It reduced the amount of trips to the car and back to one or (usually) two trips instead of three or four trips which was a huge time saver. It struggled on rougher terrain & roads and I could feel that the vibrations are not good for the gear in the long run.
After a few years of putting this old dog to work it was slowly starting to show some signs of a hard life. The hinge where it folds up was starting to go and the brakes on the wheels were sticking.
My previous cart setup. Lightweight, Cheap but with comes with a lot of negatives
I knew I had a decision to make:
After a few weeks going over the pros and cons in my head I decided to just bite the bullet and get a video production cart that’s designed for the types of jobs I do.
I figured that with a bit of luck I’ll get ten to fifteen years of use out of this cart or at least be able to sell it in a few years for a decent price if for some reason, i’m not using it.
Picking the right model
There are a few brands on the market these days manufacturing production carts. Household names tend to depend on what continent you live on.
In the USA, Innovativ and Proaim seem to have a large share of the market and in Europe it seems that Adicam are what a lot of people use.
In Australia I have come across a bit of them all. We don’t seem to have a winning brand down here. However, I would say the most common cart I’ve come across in the field would be Innovativ
After a fair bit of research I decided to go with the Adicam Standard+ cart with ‘premium’ 10″ wheels.
I went with the Adicam as it seems to have a lot of the features I was looking for such as large pneumatic wheels, a laptop friendly foldable top shelf and plenty of 1/4″ mounting holes and accessories that I could buy once I needed them further down the track.
Adicam Standard+ Video Production Cart
First Impressions
It took around 3 weeks from ordering the cart until it arrived here in Adelaide. This isn’t a piece of gear you can buy for a last minute gig. At least here in Australia!
The cart configuration I ordered did have some custom elements to it which meant that Adicam did need to custom build it. This added about an extra week or so to the delivery.
Emailing Adicam with questions was fast and very helpful with build configurations to meet my needs.
When I saw the delivery truck arrive, the first thing the post man said to me was “What the hell is this? It’s heavy as <censored>!!”
The package was over 50kgs when it arrived due to the packaging and protective pallet.
The packing was well done and reduced risk of damage in transit
Opening the box revealed the cart, nice and snug and protected
After unpacking the cart I started to piece it all together. For the first go it took me 5-10 minutes but after learning where everything goes, the cart can be built in around 4-5 minutes.
First impressions were that it’s a solid piece of kit. Easy to put together and built to last
Accessories
The idea was to first pack the cart with gear and use it on a few jobs before buying accessories. If i’m going to be using this cart for a decade or more I want it to be built the best way possible to get the most out of it.
I held off with buying a lot of accessories for this reason. Things like a plate to mount the camera, stand holders and monitor mounts etc.
There were a few accessories that I knew i’d benefit from straight away and they were a tripod holder and quick grips to push the cart from any height I wanted.
I’m glad I bought the tripod holder, it frees up space on the cart while not making the cart any wider due to the tripods now sitting on the outside of the front of the camera cart.
The tripod holder is a great addition to the basic cart setup. By leaving the tripod cover on it adds further protection to the tripod and the cart.
The quick grips provide another way to push the cart. I wouldn’t say they are a necessity but they do make life a little easier
Loading the cart with camera kit
The cart can handle a total payload of 200kg (80kgs on the top shelf and 120kg on the bottom shelf). That is a lot of weight to push around so I was certain I would be under that limit.
The challenge is to be able to fit all of my most used kit onto the cart in order to have a bump in and bump out of the van down to just one trip.
A couple of days after the cart arrived I was booked for a shoot that involved some two camera interviews, lighting, audio as well as some b-roll where the client asked for sequences on the gimbal while our subject was walking.
That is quite a lot of gear and a perfect test to how this cart can handle gear for a shoot like this.
I’m sure as I use this over the next six months the way it’s loaded with gear will change and be streamlined but for a first attempt I was able to load everything I need onto the cart.
One of the objectives was to be able to load the Matthews 40″ light modifiers onto the cart. This is something that I couldn’t do with the previous cart.
I really like using these modifiers, they are solid for outdoor conditions, cut, soften and bounce light really well and I can set them up in less than 30 seconds.
The drawback however is that they are not collapsible which means they aren’t the easiest to transport.
After a few attempts using clamps I realised that the modifiers can actually rest on the bottom shelf of the cart. Perfect! I simply secured them with some bungee chords and they sit snug to the side of the cart with minimal movement.
Being able to securely fit the Matthews 40″ modifiers on the side of the cart saves a trip to the van as well as my back!
Gimbal transport
For now, the gimbal will be transported on the top shelf using an old Ronin tuning stand.
I have weighed down the legs of the stand with shot bags which results in them sitting safely on the top shelf.
This arrangement is not the best use of space and I think in the coming months I’ll purchase the Adicam gimbal mount to further free up space on the shelves of the cart itself.
Gimbal sitting on the top shelf of the cart
Transporting the cart to location
Collapse the cart or keep it built up
Using a van is not a requirement if you are looking to invest in a cart but it definitely does make transport easier.
The Adicam Standard+ cart can collapse down fairly quickly and it will fit in the boot of most small to medium sized cars.
Lifting the cart in and out of a car during a shoot day will slow things down and get a little hard on the back though so keep that in mind if you’re looking to go down that route.
I wanted to be able to keep the cart built and be able to roll the cart in and out of the van semi loaded for convenience and efficiency.
Ramps
I found some cheap lightweight ramps on ebay which do not fold. The idea was to store the ramps under the cart when driving.
If I went with foldable ramps they wouldn’t fit under the cart and end up using more space in the van.
The ramps are a little on the short side at 150cm (5′) long which makes the angle of the ramps a bit steep but it still works. If you’re looking to have a similar setup, check the height of your van or truck to make sure the ramps aren’t too steep. My van floor sits 52cm off the ground and I think an ideal ramp length / angle would be 170cm long.
The ramps came with some tie down points which are really useful. They secure the ramps to prevent them from slipping. Because they are always used at this angle, it’s just a case of hooking them onto the van which takes less than 10 seconds.
150cm (5′) ramps leading into the production van
Using the video production cart on a shoot
Using the cart on my first shoot was such an awesome upgrade in the physical demands of carrying so much gear!
Being able to walk to the room for the interviews with all of the equipment I needed was great not only from a efficiency and physical point of view but it enabled me to be fully aware of my surroundings and not use up valuable energy carrying 50+kgs of gear by hand.
If i’m honest, it wasn’t quicker unloading the gear from the van with this cart compared to the older cart.
This thing is heavy and requires care when unloading, packing and moving around.
The cart fit fully loaded into a standard sized lift with no problems.
Everything I need for a two camera interview with one trip from the van.
Capturing B-roll
Once the interviews were done, I loaded the FX6 and A7S3 / gimbal onto the top self. A Pavotube, batteries, filters and Easyrig were on the lower shelf and I was ready to move to a different location to shot some b-roll.
This is when I really felt like this was a great investment and has changed my videography workflow.
Having a mobile workstation with everything I need to capture B-roll made the shoot much easier.
So how much did it cost?
As with nearly everything in Australia that comes from abroad, it’s expensive. This is compounded even more so when the item is heavy.
The combined wight of the cart, packaging, and accessories was over 50kg!!
I also needed to pay customs & GST tax on top of the initial cost from Adicam.
The model of cart I ordered was the Adicam Standard+ with ‘premium’ 10″ wheels with black latches.
Cost breakdown of the cart & accessories (ex. GST /VAT):
Production cart: $3550
Tripod Holder: $380
Quick Grips: $170
Freight: $73
Total: $4180
Future upgrades
Gimbal mount
As I mentioned, I will likely purchase the gimbal mount which will enable me to free up some more space on the top shelf of the cart.
Camera plate / mount
I do find that when shooting b-roll in particular, the FX6 sitting on the top shelf isn’t as secure as i’d like when moving so I will look into a camera mount in future. I have an old Manfrotto tripod mount gathering dust so it makes sense to put that to use.
Monitor mount
At the moment I have a 7″ SmallHD director / client monitor in a cage that is portable and wireless running of v-mount batteries. This has been working well and gives people on set freedom to walk around. My intention is to find a way to mount the monitor and cage on the cart with a quick release system for when the director / client wants to move away from the cart.
If you have achieved a similar setup, please let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear your ideas!
Light stands
Currently my light stands are sitting on top of the cases on the bottom shelf which isn’t ideal. A great hack I came across was to use drum kit hardware to rig up a c-stand / light stand support on the outside length of the cart. The only potential issue I can see with this option is it may make the width of the cart to wide for standard door ways.
Final Thoughts
I’m sure you’d agree that spending $4,000 dollars on a cart to transport gear is is a lot to pay and I’d much rather put that money into a lens, lighting or even the mortgage(!).
However, purely on a financial level, I hope to be still using this cart in ten to fifteen years from now or at the very least sell it further down the track at a fair price.
If I base the cart on having a twelve year lifespan it will cost me $348 per year or $6.70 per week.
It really isn’t about justifying the cost to me at this point though, using this cart has overall been a great addition to my kit and workflow whilst on set.
It really has made the physical aspect of video production so much less of a strain for me and enabled me to be more in the moment with clients, assessing locations and being able to concentrate on the story.
One thing to be aware of, especially if you’re operating with a small crew are steps and stairways! If you’re bumping in a lot of kit on a production cart, you want to make sure that you have access via ramps and lifts. You’re not going to be able to lift these carts up flights of stairs with just two people.
The setup has also increased client perception & increased their involvement in the filmmaking process.
Pros
Less strain on back and shoulders
Mobile workstation
Lot's of possible configurations
Less wear and tear on equipment
Looks professional on set
Dry hire rental income possibilities
Should last 10+ years if looked after
Cons
Heavy at 37kg when empty
High cost of purchase
'Steps anxiety'!
A medium sized car or van is recommended
High cost of accessories
I hope you have got some good value out of this article. I’m just at the beginning of customising this video production cart, if you have any hacks, tips or recommendations to get the best out of this cart, leave them in the comments below.
I’d love to hear them!
